Jr. Dragster Challenge Brings Crowds To EPCAL

RIVERHEAD, NY — Young drivers took to the track to compete for a groundbreaking grand prize recently.

On Nov. 3, a total of 31 drivers between the ages of 6 and 17 competed in the Race Track Not Street Jr. Dragster Challenge at the drag strip at Enterprise Park at Calverton.

Thirty-one drivers between the ages of 6 and 17 competed for a grand prize of $26,000; the purse was the largest amount of money ever paid out at an event in the history of National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)-sanctioned Junior Dragster racing, organizers said.

The winners and runners-up were as follows:

Class A (ages 6-10):

• Winner: Kole Paone
• Runner-up: Guilia Held

Class B (ages 11-17):

• Winner: Jordan Michael Denny
• Runner-up: Paul Stalbe

The event was sanctioned by the NHRA. The NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League offers children ages 5 to 17 a chance to race half-scale dragsters in a controlled environment at many of NHRA’s 130 member tracks throughout the U.S. and Canada. The five-horsepower vehicles can go as fast as 85 miles per hour within 7.9 seconds.

"The Jr. Dragster Challenge highlights the dedication and engineering skills these young drivers bring to building and fine-tuning their vehicles, blending STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education with the thrill of competitive racing," organizers said.

The season finale also included the Eliminator Bracket Class, featuring handicap-style races and index trophies for experienced drivers.

The winner of the Little Eliminator Bracket was Bill Staab.

Fans also joined in on the fun with the "Run What Ya Brung" test-and-tune, allowing them to bring their own street or race cars, while go-kart racing took place on a separate section of the runway.